Encyclopedia entry
Cubit
Heb. ‘ammah; i.e., “mother of the arm,” the fore-arm, is a word derived from the Latin cubitus, the lower arm. It is difficult to determine the exact length of this measure, from the uncertainty whether it included the entire length from the elbow to the tip of the longest finger, or only from the elbow to the root of the hand at the wrist. The probability is that the longer was the original cubit. The common computation as to the length of the cubit makes it 20.24 inches for the ordinary cubit, and 21.888 inches for the sacred one. This is the same as the Egyptian measurements.
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A rod or staff the measure of a cubit is called in Judg. 3:16 gomed, which literally means a “cut,” something “cut off.” The LXX. and Vulgate render it “span.”
Also from Smith's (1884) +−
[Weights And Measures AND Measures]
In the Bible
28
Verses where Cubit is named. Berean Standard Bible (public domain).
- 1 Kings 7:24
Below the rim, ornamental buds encircled it, ten per cubit all the way around the Sea, cast in two rows as a part of the Sea.
- 1 Kings 7:31
The opening to each stand inside the crown at the top was one cubit deep, with a round opening like the design of a pedestal, a cubit and a half wide. And around its opening were engravings, but the panels of the stands were square, not round.
- 1 Kings 7:32
There were four wheels under the panels, and the axles of the wheels were attached to the stand; each wheel was a cubit and a half in diameter.
- 1 Kings 7:35
At the top of each stand was a circular band half a cubit high. The supports and panels were cast as a unit with the top of the stand.
- 2 Chronicles 4:3
Below the rim, figures of oxen encircled it, ten per cubit all the way around the Sea, cast in two rows as a part of the Sea.
- Deuteronomy 3:11
(For only Og king of Bashan had remained of the remnant of the Rephaim. His bed of iron, nine cubits long and four cubits wide, is still in Rabbah of the Ammonites.)
+22 more verses naming Cubit.
Scripture on Cubit
15
Entries that reference Cubit
1
Cubit references
3
Sources · Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897) · Smith's Bible Dictionary (1884)
Public-domain text. Modernized only where archaic spelling impedes reading; original facts preserved. Verify against an authoritative modern reference before quoting.